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Pictures taken through a microscope have obvious value for
scientists, but photomicrographs, as they are called, can be
appreciated as objects of beauty in their own right.

This week, the camera-making company Nikon will announce the
winners of its annual
Small World Competition, which honors snapshots of amazing
structures and organisms that are impossible to see with the
naked eye.

The striking scientific subjects of this year's entrants include
an excited neuron; the larva of a peanut worm; marbled dewdrops
on a spider web; a butterfly's coiled tongue; the surprisingly
colorful crystals that form in battery leakage; and a creepy
cluster of fish eggs, which look like sacs of clear jelly, each
stuffed with a pair of eyes. [ See
Microscopic Photos from the Small World Competition ]

The winners of the 2013 contest will be revealed at 10 a.m. ET on
Wednesday (Oct. 30). Nikon said its judges are looking for
"originality, informational content, technical proficiency and
visual impact."

Last year, a colorful image of the
blood-brain barrier in a live zebrafish embryo took home 1st
prize, while 2nd place went to a photograph of newborn lynx
spiderlings. The year before, an up-close portrait of a green
lacewing larva won top honors, followed by an amazing image of
blade of grass magnified 200 times.

The contest was established in 1975 and is open to international
entries from both professional and amateur photomicrographers.
Nikon is only considering images that were taken using light
microscopy. Acceptable techniques include phase contrast,
polarized light, fluorescence, interference contrast, darkfield,
confocal and deconvolution.

Winners will get credit toward the purchase of Nikon equipment,
with the 1st prize worth $3,000.